


The Potter and the Blacksmith

by Purple_ducky00



Series: AU-gust prompts [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Witch Hunts, assumed major character death, but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25648603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_ducky00/pseuds/Purple_ducky00
Summary: Life was simple in the village of Belleville. Everyone had their job to do, and everyone lived in peace with each other. There had been no trouble in the village for a long time. The last werewolf attack was years ago, and dragons have not been seen for decades.Magic is prohibited in this realm, and the ruler of the village likes to take this very seriously. Once warned in a dream that she and her family would die by magic, she goes the extra mile to make sure there is never any magic in the town.When the gregarious potter marries the isolated blacksmith, rumors start flying. What happens when one of them is suspected of using magic?
Relationships: Tony Stark/Thor
Series: AU-gust prompts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859422
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	The Potter and the Blacksmith

Life was simple in the village of Belleville. Everyone had their job to do, and everyone lived in peace with each other. There had been no trouble in the village for a long time. The last werewolf attack was years ago, and dragons have not been seen for decades.

Magic is prohibited in this realm, and the ruler of the village likes to take this very seriously. Once warned in a dream that she and her family would die by magic, she goes the extra mile to make sure there is never any magic in the town.

In this town lives a potter. No one is sure how he does it, but the pottery he makes is a better quality than the other potters in the village. The potter is a big blonde man who is always down for a good laugh. Every day, he is in the marketplace buying and/or selling. He knows everyone’s names, and everyone knows his. The ladies of the village all claim he smiles at them the best, but few actually know the one with which his true affection lies.

The blacksmith, on the other hand, is a short man who isolates himself from the town. No one really knows him, and new rumors about the man are generated every morning. Some say he is the disinherited son of a noble, some say he’s a magical being living in disguise. Others claim him to be a devil, what with the amount of smoke that arises from his home each day. No matter what the rumor, no one will ask the man; they are all too afraid. If one does not have needed reparations, one does not go near the smithy.

The blacksmith is not unfriendly when one talks to him. He prefers to be left alone. All the horses and donkeys that are left with him are treated with the utmost gentility. He charges reasonably and never causes problems. He has two apprentices that mostly deal with the customers, and they don’t seem to be mistreated.

One day, the potter takes a walk up the hill to the smithy. “Peter. Harley. Is Tony available?” He greets.

The blacksmith walks in from the forge, wiping his hands on a rag. “Thor. Welcome. How are you today?”

“I was wondering if you would perhaps like to dine at my house tonight? I am making that stew you enjoy.”

Tony, ever the oblivious one, cocks his head. “That sounds appetizing but I do have this invention that I need to work on that requires proper care.”

“Master Tony, we can keep an eye on that. It is our jobs.” Harley is quick to speak up.

“Why don’t you boys go to Mr. Thor’s house instead? Perhaps you can enjoy a good meal instead of my burnt mistakes.”

Thor groans inwardly, and the boys look uncomfortable, clearly picking up on Thor’s offer. “Master, Mr. Thor didn’t _ask_ us.” Peter begins.

“He wouldn’t mind. He makes enough to share.”

“What if Mr. Thor brings the stew _here_?” Harley asks. “Then we all could have some.”

Thor sighs. “That sounds splendid. I shall do as such.”

“Great! Then it’s settled.” Tony claps. “I must get back to my invention.” And he slips back to the forge.

Harley turns to Thor. “We sincerely apologize. He’s not great on picking up social cues. You would think with his upbringing…”

“Shh! We’re not supposed to talk about that!” Peter elbows him.

Thor slips out before he witnesses a brawl. He must do something to get Tony’s attention… but what? Perhaps if he asks to court him, straight up, he’d agree.

True to his word, Thor brings a kettle of stew to Tony’s cottage. As they gather around the table, a large _boom_ sounds from the forge. Tony hops up to check on his invention, and Thor follows him. When they walk into the forge, Thor wants to kiss away the sadness in Tony’s eyes. The invention is scattered across the floor, having blown up.

“Don’t worry, Tony. I can help you fix that.” Thor tries to cheer him up. He produces a blue ball of swirling energies, and uses it to bring the pieces back together.

Tony slaps his arm. “Put that away!” He hisses. “Magic is what got me into this mess in the first place!”

“You have magic?” Thor is intrigued.

“No I do not!” Tony cries. “But for some reason, everyone I meet seems to think I do. My own father disowned me and sent me away, and I took two of his best apprentices with me. They were basically my sons anyways.”

Thor feels a little lost. “Why would they think you have magic?” He wonders.

“My brain is quite skilled. I have been inventing since I was four years old. When my creations become more advanced than ever, people start to wonder what magical powers I have. Magic is illegal in these lands, Thor. You should really be careful to whom you show your powers,” Tony says earnestly, and Thor wants to pull his own hair out. Why can’t the man see that Thor is choosing to trust him?

“Do you have any advanced inventions at this cottage?” Thor asks. “I would be curious to see what you mean.”

Tony looks dazed, then suspicious. He finally relents. “I guess. It’s not like I don’t have anything over you if you decide that my inventions are wicked. When we have finished your stew, I will show you as the boys clean up.”

Once the stew is gone, Tony leads Thor to a secret room in the back of the cottage. Inside are wonders of which Thor could not have dreamt! “Tony, this is beautiful,” Thor breathes. “Thank you for sharing this with me.”

Again, Tony cocks his head and narrows his eyes as if he’s trying to figure something out that he just can’t grasp. “You like it? No one ever likes my inventions.” He accuses.

“Everyone else is a simpleton, afraid of things they cannot explain or understand.” Thor cups Tony’s face with his large hands. “May I court you, Tony?”

“ _You_ want to court _me?_ ” Tony snorts. “People will talk, Thor. We’re not exactly compatible.”

“Do you dislike me? Because I am intrigued and delighted by you.”

Tony sighs. “Of course, I don’t dislike you, Thor. Everyone likes you. I just… when the rumors of my upbringing come this way, and I know they will, I would hate for you to be caught in the middle.”

“I assure you; I can hold my ground.” Thor moves his hands down to Tony’s shoulders.

“I’m sure you can.” Tony’s eyes run over Thor’s body appreciatively. “But that doesn’t mean you should have to.”

Thor knows he has to phrase himself differently. He thinks a moment, then says, “Tony, if you do not want to court me because you do not like me as I like you, I shall take no as an answer and leave you be. But if you do not want to court me because you believe I will grow to regret it; I implore you to take a chance on me. I promise I will never regret you.”

“Ok.” Tony wilts. “I will accept your offer of courtship.”

++++++

**_Four Years Later_ **

Thor wakes up next to his husband. His eyes trace Tony’s sleeping features. This is one of Thor’s favorite parts of the day, watching the usually bustling blacksmith lie stilly and peacefully in the morning hours. Thor runs his finger over Tony’s cheekbone and places a kiss on his forehead. It is time for him to get out of bed.

Letting Tony sleep, Thor pads off to his workroom. Wisps of magic fly around the room, keeping the clay running and the wheel turning. Other wisps are making engravings in the quickly drying pots and bowls. Satisfied with their progress, Thor heads back to his bedroom. Tony is waking up.

“Good morning, my love.” Thor sinks down beside him on the bed and gives him a kiss.

“Hmm. Good morning.” Tony leans in for another. “You know, the boys spent the night at the forge.” He wiggles his brows. Catching Tony’s drift, Thor is quick to comply.

Once both are properly sated, they wash together and get ready to start their day. As Thor walks out the door to walk with Tony to the forge, one of his little wisps decides it is going to latch itself to Thor’s pants. It detaches when they arrive at the forge. This is where everything goes to shit.

Tony speaks with a customer in the forge, later that day, when a little blue speck catches the townsman’s eye. His eyes narrow, but he doesn’t speak up. Two days later, the little wisp makes its way down into the town. The ruler sees it and immediately calls a council together. They must find the witch.

In a frenzy, the townspeople start throwing accusations left and right to the point that no one knows what to believe. Finally, the ruler quiets everyone down, and she asks, “Does anyone have any evidence that the person which whom you are accusing has been using magic?”

Everyone quiets down with a murmur until the man who had been at the forge two days earlier speaks up. “I saw a speck like that in the blacksmith’s forge not two days ago.”

“He must be the witch.” Someone else yells.

A traveling merchant asks, “Who is the blacksmith in this fair town?”

“Tony Carbellino.”

“If he be who I think, the man is a liar and a thief. I had been looking for this man awhile.” The merchant advises. “I believe him to be the disowned son of the nobleman Howard Stark. When it came about that his son dabbled in the magic arts, the kind Lord Howard asked his son to run away and never come back – he couldn’t bear to see his son killed. Anthony did leave; however, he took with him two of the lord’s finest apprentices. I would imagine that they are now blacksmith’s apprentices when they could have been so much more.”

“But he does use magic?” A farmer asks.

The merchant nods. “There is no way he could not, what with his unnatural creations. Please be careful when you go to confront him. Who knows what he has as a defense.”

The townsfolk grab their swords and light their torches. They don’t need a witch in their nice town. They pull Tony from his forge and tie him up, despite his loud protests. Forcing his apprentices outside, they set fire to the house and forge. Only one room remains, but when someone tries to open it, a blue flash appears, and the person flies back ten feet. They decide to leave the room there and drag the blacksmith to the town square.

Harley, Peter, and Tony all scream and argue that they have the wrong person, but to no avail. The townsfolk don’t notice when Harley leaves the procession. Focusing their wrath on Tony, they lash him to the whipping post and set it aflame.

Suddenly lightning erupts in the sky. Thor stalks down to the center square, eyes glowing an unearthly blue. “What have you done?” He bellows. Rushing through the fire, he pulls Tony out, but it seems that he’s too late. Tony is badly burnt and no longer breathing. Falling to his knees, Thor lets out an inhuman bellow, and lightning strikes the ground all around him.

The ruler is grasping her metal staff when the electricity moves its way up to her hand and through her body. She falls to the ground, dead. Everyone else backs away from Thor, afraid of who will be killed next. The witch screams again with the pain of losing a lover. Thunder crashes loudly, and rain begins to fall. Only a sob from Peter keeps Thor from wreaking pain and death on the whole town.

“Thor! Stop please!” Peter cries.

“They killed him, Peter. He’s dead.” Thor tries to tell the boy, but Peter shakes his head.

“I know they did, Thor.” He looks up at the witch earnestly. “But what would Tony want you to do?”

Thor breathes heavily. “He… would… want… me… to let him rest in peace.” His eyes flash blue again. “But I want revenge. He’s no longer here – how am I supposed to live?”

“We'll move to a different town,” Harley tells him. “We'll take all of Tony’s inventions and start over. Tony would like that.”

The villagers rush into their homes and bar the doors as the two boys try to calm Thor down. Eventually, he relents, and they lead him back to his home. “Come on, we'll pack up and leave tomorrow.” Harley comforts the man. “You won’t have anymore reminders of this horrible place anymore.”

Thor spends his night packing up all his belongings. They will have to travel far away to remain unknown. His wisps curl up softly in a jug, and he sets them in a safe place. Where can he go? How will he live without the love of his life? Thor breaks down and cries til dawn. As he readies himself to leave, there is a knock on his back door. Thinking it’s the boys, he sighs and flings the door open, only to reveal…. Tony. “No, you’re dead. I saw you die.”

“Thor, love, do you think me a fool?” Tony questions. “I grabbed a vial of your life spell. No matter what they did to me, I could recover. It’s me, hor. I’m right here. Test me however you want; I will pass.

Thor pulls Tony close, kisses him deeply, and then motions to his belongings. “we are moving out.”

“I understand,” Tony nods. “We should go somewhere were neither of us are known… or to a land where magic is allowed.”

“I can take you back to my homeland,” Thor advises. “We are families of witches. Our spells are passed down from generation to generation. Please advise and I will request passage from Heimdall.”

Tony agrees, and they walk the cart up to the remains of the forge. Getting the boys, they all stand in Tony's invention room, and Thor casts a spell. A bright rainbow light shoots down from the sky onto them. When it disappears, so has everything it touched. The only thing left is a pattern burned into the ground.

++++++

**_300 Years Later_ **

This story is passed down the generations, how a man came back to life and another man controlled the lightning. No one knew how they left. Some said that the witch caused them to ascend; others said a dragon burned them to ashes. No matter what happened, the two were never seen again. The burn marks are now gone, and a house has been built where the forge once was.

No one knows if the story is true, and children ask for the story of the potter and the blacksmith. Every once in a while, though, someone thinks they see a little blue wisp…


End file.
